Anunwinnable state (informally called asoftlock) is when a level or a whole game is still technically playable but is impossible to complete because a technique or an object needed to progress has become inaccessible to the player, the player character is trapped with no means of escape, or a script fails to trigger. Unwinnable situations are usually the result of aglitch or of players going out of their way to trap themselves; they can also be intentional on the part of the game designers, although there are little to no instances of this in theSuper Mario franchise.

This list does not include scripted boss battles that the player cannot win inRPGs, such as the first battle withBowser inPaper Mario and theHollijolli VillageShroobs inMario & Luigi: Partners in Time, as the game still advances despite the player losing.

Examples of unwinnable situations[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Bros.[edit]

InSuper Mario Bros., if the player jumps over the Goal Pole (a feat only possible in certain levels such asWorld 3-3), and then moves far enough to the right that the Goal Pole disappears off-screen, they will be unable to touch it from the other side, as the game cannot backtrack. This means that once this happens, they are trapped in a never-ending void until they die by letting thetime run out. Because of this glitch,Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels sometimes adds hidden Warp Zones behind certain Goal Poles. InSuper Mario All-Stars, jumping over the Goal Pole will only result in the player being unable to venture beyond the fortress/castle on the other side and being stopped by an invisible barrier on the right side of the screen. InSuper Mario Bros. Deluxe, the ability to jump over the Goal Pole was removed altogether.

In all versions of the game except theFDS version, it is impossible to progress past theMinus World after entering it, due to theWarp Pipe at the end of the level beingglitched and taking the player to the beginning of the level once entered. In the FDS version, the Minus World consists of three levels instead of one, all which are beatable. Upon completing this version of the Minus World, the game will act as if the game was beaten, allowing the player to select any world on the title screen. InSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, a similar glitch can be performed inWorld 1-2, which can send the player to one of two areas; both areas are beatable and beating them will result in the player moving on toWorld 1-3. InSuper Mario All-Stars andSuper Mario Bros. Deluxe, the ability to access the Minus World was removed altogether.

In somecastle levels, there are some areas where the player can use a platform to jump above a hole in the ceiling and land on top of it. However, if they start running above the ceiling and reach the end of the level, they cannot return under the ceiling (as the game cannot backtrack) to touch theaxe and finish the level, forcing the player to wait until time runs out and they die so they could retry the level.

In levels featuringspringboards, a springboard sometimes may not load due to limitation on number of sprites that can be displayed on screen. If the player touches the springboard's hitbox while in this state, they will be trapped inside it until the time runs out and they die. In some cases, the springboard is mandatory to finish the level, meaning the player would be stuck even if they didn't get trapped inside the hitbox.

In the Japanese and North American versions of the game, if the player were to squeeze themselves into the gap above the exit pipe at the end of any underwater level by jumping and ducking into it at the same time, they will become stuck and unable to escape until they lose a life by running out of time. In the European version of the game,VS. Super Mario Bros., andSuper Mario All-Stars, extra blocks were added above the exit pipes to prevent this from happening. InSuper Mario Bros. Deluxe, extra blocks were not added but the ability to phase through such gaps was removed altogether.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]

InWorld 3-1 ofSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, if the player goes to the underground bonus room and then leaves, they will emerge below some blocks which must be broken for them to continue the level. Since onlySuper Mario andFire Mario can break blocks, there is a hidden block which spawns aMushroom orFire Flower nearby. If the player obtains that power-up and then shrinks back down toSmall Mario by touching a nearbyPiranha Plant, they will be stuck until they die either by falling into a nearbypit or allowing the time to run out.

InWorld A-1, the player can get stuck by partial scrolling the structure at the start of the level off-screen until the gap at the bottom is small enough that they cannot fall out once they jump into the structure.^[1]

Super Mario Bros. Special[edit]

InSuper Mario Bros. Special, there are two enterable pipes in World 4 which, due to oversights, lack an assigned destination. One is in the over-the-roofWarp Zone ofWorld 4-2, and the other is the exit pipe of theCoin Heaven ofWorld 4-3. If the player enters either of these pipes, they will never exit, and thus be trapped until the time runs out.

InWorld 4-3, if the player does not break the secondScale Lift, the secondFlimsy Lift in a large pit will fail to spawn, making it impossible to jump across.^[2]

Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]

Peach stuck in a pit in 2-2.

InWorld 2-2 ofSuper Mario Bros. 2, if the player digs up all thesoft sand at the left side of the splitting path, they will be unable to jump out. The only ways to escape this glitch are to either use the "suicide code" (Up + A + B on Controller 2 while the game is paused, and then un-pausing) or to reset the game. This glitch was not fixed inSuper Mario All-Stars. InSuper Mario Advance, ajar was added which can be used to reset the sand by entering and leaving it.

InSuper Mario Advance, it is possible to get stuck in the wall inWorld 2-3 by performing aCrouching High Jump toward the ceiling in thesoft sand digging area while holding thekey.

InWorld 3-2, it is possible to go pastBirdo and then stack themushroom blocks to the left in a way that if the player were to fall to the bottom of the room, they would be unable to get back up, even with acrouching high jump. If the player has three or morehearts, they could get back up by getting hit by one of Birdo'seggs orfireballs and then using the extra bounce to reach the top. But if the player has two or fewer hearts, then they are stuck. The only ways to escape this glitch are to either use the "suicide code" or to reset the game.

In revision 0 of the game, if aSmall Fry Guy is hit with aMushroom Block while the player is shrinking inWorld 4-3, then said Small Fry Guy will fall off the screen as opposed to disappearing in a puff of smoke. Because of this, the Small Fry Guy is not considered "defeated" by the game, and as a result the exit door will not appear, rendering the level unbeatable. The only ways to escape this glitch are to either use the "suicide code", or to reset the game. This glitch was fixed in all subsequent revisions as well as all subsequent releases.^[3]

InWorld 6-2, it is possible for the player to get stuck inside a wall by crouch jumping on top ofthe masked gate as it opens. The only ways to escape this glitch are to either use the "suicide code", or to reset the game.

InWorld 7-2, the player can get on top of the ceiling during the final boss fight againstWart if they are playing asLuigi. Due to how defeating a boss locks the screen in place, if the player defeats Wart while still on the ceiling, they will be unable to get back down to reach the exit door. The only ways to escape this glitch are to either use the suicide code, or to reset the game.^[4] A similar glitch, which can be performed as any character, can also occur if the player is too far to the left for the exit door to be on-screen at the time it spawns. InSuper Mario All-Stars, both glitches are still present. InSuper Mario Advance, they were fixed by removing the screen lock function.

Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

Super Mario Bros. 3 has a softlock where, should anEnemy Course land on top of anN-Mark Spade Panel, the two combine and move across the overworld map indefinitely, preventing the player from going any further after clearing a course when the panel appears.

Another softlock can occur when players are in the 2 Player Game and find aWarp Pipe on the world map that is blocked off by a locked gate. One player must reach it via the pipe that connects to it elsewhere on the map, then re-enter the blocked-off pipe and lose a life by having theTime Limit in the pipe room reach zero, after which they will be returned to the blocked-off pipe's location on the map. If the other player then reaches their location as well, they will not be able to re-enter the pipe as they will instead enterBattle Mode, thus softlocking the game unless the player has aMagic Whistle.^[5]

InSuper Mario All-Stars andSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, transforming fromTanooki Mario toStatue Mario right as the player collects a third matching panel will disrupt the end of level sequence, and cause the game to softlock at a black screen with a single sprite in the middle.^[6]

In any fortress level featuring a flyingBoom Boom, flying over him with a P-Wing will sometimes cause him to fly upwards and never return. If that happens, the player will become stuck until the timer runs out. This glitch can be performed in both the original andSuper Mario All-Stars versions of the game; it was fixed inSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

InSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, it is possible to get stuck insideBoss Bass' mouth without dying. InWorld 3-3 andWorld 3-8 the player must repeatedly press as Boss Bass dives into the water, and not stop until the next time Boss Bass pops his head out of the water. If performed correctly, and the player is eaten immediately afterwards, they will not die. However, they will get stuck and unable to escape without exiting the level or resetting the game (the timer will become frozen upon the player being eaten, so allowing it to run out is not an option).^[7]

InWorld 3-9,World 5-2, andWorld 7-5, there is a pipe surrounded byWhite Blocks. If the player removes the bottom three White Blocks on the right side of the pipe, becomes wedged in between the pipe and the White Block on the far top, then jumps while still ducked, they will go down the side of the pipe. In the next area, the player's sprite will fail to spawn and the player will also lose the ability to do anything but scroll the screen left and right, or shoot fireballs if playing asFire Mario. They will therefore have no choice but to wait until the timer expires. Once the timer does expire and the player loses a life, the screen will become stuck in place, and won't return to the map screen until about five minutes later.^[8]

Playing the Matching Game while theN-Mark Spade Panel is directly over eitherWorld 4-Fortress 2,World 6-Fortress 1, orWorld 6-Fortress 3 can cause a softlock. Specifically, if the fortress is unbeaten, then playing the Matching Game will cause the game to count the fortress as being beaten. However, because Boom Boom remains unbeaten, the post-fortress path won't open. And because there is no way to re-enter a fortress after beating it, the path will become shut permanently. Under such conditions, unless the player has a Magic Whistle, they will be unable to progress any further and will have no choice but to reset the game.

In addition to the above glitch, there is a second way to cause a softlock in World 4-Fortress 2. In the level's secret area, if the player enters the left end of the U-shaped pipe from the side, the screen will scroll down past the level into an empty area. After a period of time, the screen will reach the top of the room. The player will then become invisible and unable to interact with the level in any way other than collecting some invisible coins and making some Jump Blocks appear. While in this state, the player can exit the level through an invisible pipe. Should they do so, the game will count the fortress as being beaten. But like with the above glitch, because Boom Boom remains unbeaten, the post-fortress path won't open, and the player will be trapped unless they have a Magic Whistle.

InWorld 5-3, landing in aKuribo's Shoe while transformed into a statue will cause the player to transform as normal, but their sprite will be discolored. They will also become invincible, but unable to go through pipes. The only ways to fix this glitch are to either obtain a power-up or lose a life. If for some reason there are no power-ups to collect, the player will become trapped until they fall into a pit or wait for the timer to run out. This glitch can be performed in both the original andSuper Mario All-Stars versions of the game; it was fixed inSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

InWorld 5-9, the final moving platform sometimes may not load due to sprite limitations. If that happens, the only way the player can make it to the end would be to jump off a Fire Chomp. If there is no Fire Chomp on screen at the time, or if the Fire Chomp is on the left side of the screen, the player will be forced to fall off-screen and lose a life.^[9]

If the player loses a life inWorld 5-Airship, the airship will occasionally fly out of bounds and the player will be unable to re-enter it. If that happens, then unless they have a Magic Whistle they will have no choice but to reset the game. This glitch was fixed in bothSuper Mario All-Stars andSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

In any level featuring aHammer Suit, collecting the power-up while transformed into a statue will cause the player to transform intoHammer Mario as normal, but their sprite will be discolored. The player will also be unable to go through pipes. Because Hammer Suits can only be obtained in bonus areas, this means the player will become trapped until the timer runs out.^[10] This glitch can be performed in both the original andSuper Mario All-Stars versions of the game; it was fixed inSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

InWorld 7-7, it is possible to get stuck inside the pipe near the end of the end of the level by running at full speed, jumping, and colliding with the left side of the pipe. Should the player get stuck, they will have to wait for time to run out to retry the level.

InWorld 8-Bowser's Castle, defeating Bowser with hammers while he is in midair will sometimes cause him to fly upwards and never come down. If that happens, the game won't count him as being defeated, so the exit door will never open, rendering the level unbeatable. Even worse, the timer will also be frozen, which means unless there is a hole in the floor the player can fall into, the player will have no choice but to reset the game.

In addition to the above glitch, in World 8-Bowser's Castle it is possible to get stuck until the timer runs out by squeezing through the ceiling a second time instead of just going through the door leading to Bowser while performing the"Fireless Bowser" glitch. This glitch can be performed in both the original andSuper Mario All-Stars versions of the game; it was fixed inSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

Super Mario World[edit]

The bonus game softlock

When collecting a power-up inSuper Mario World, the game temporarily freezes during the power-up animation. If this occurs at the same time thatYoshi eats a berry, the game freezes. If the player has already beaten the level, they can escape the freeze by pressing and. However, if the player has not beaten the level, they must reset the console.

In any autoscroller level, collecting aCape Feather while at least partially offscreen will have the same effect as the above glitch.^[11]

There exists a glitch that allows the player to obtain amagic ball in theirItem Stock. If the player performs this glitch and then collects the magic ball while in abonus game, the player is taken to a glitched bonus game that is impossible to complete. The only option at this point is to reset the console.

Performing the above glitch while inside aSwitch Palace will result in the level being cleared without the switch being activated. Saving the game at any point afterward will render the unlockable! Blocks permanently lost.

InSuper Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, it is possible to corrupt the game's exit counter and achieve more than 96 exits. To do this player must first achieve all 96 legitimate exits, and then simultaneously press a button and while in the overworld. Doing so corrupts the status menu, making it possible to select a level only to be given an incorrect response. This response ranges from nothing at all, to an endless bonus game (which results in a softlock), an actual level, or a normally inaccessible (and unbeatable) level such as the intro level. If the player enters a normal level this way, going through a normal exit will cause the game to become completely glitched, while going through a secret exit will corrupt the game's exit counter and set the number of obtained exits to 97. If the latter occurs, the overworld will reset to its original state, and if the game is saved at any point afterward the 96 exit completion state will be permanently lost.

InSuper Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, if the player performs the above status menu glitch by pressing down on button and while at a completedYellow Switch Palace, and then selectsChocolate Island 3, they will then be able to re-enter the former level due to the game mistaking it for the latter level. However, the level is now unbeatable because the Switch is no longer present at the end due to it already being pressed.

Performing the item swap glitch on aMessage Block in eitherDonut Plains 3,Chocolate Island 2, orGnarly will cause the Message Block to spawn in an unintended location. Hitting this block will cause a glitched Switch Palace message to play. In the Japanese version, the player will remain frozen in place for about 16 seconds, and then exit the level. In all other versions, unless this is the first level the player entered after opening the save file, performing this glitch will cause a softlock.^[12]

Super Mario 64[edit]

InSuper Mario 64, in order to defeatBowser inBowser in the Dark World,Bowser in the Fire Sea, andBowser in the Sky, Mario must throw him into thebombs around the arena. If Mariolong-jumps into all the bombs to detonate them, he is left with no way to defeat Bowser unless he leaves the level. To fix this in theDS remake, one bomb always reappears in the arena if the player tries to detonate all of them, making it still possible to beat Bowser. Additionally, it is possible to trick Bowser into lunging after Mario and jumping directly into the pit. Normally, Mario needs to throw Bowser into the pit for him to land there, but if Bowser does so as part of his own attack, the game does not respawn him to jump back onto the stage.

If one of theBullies inLethal Lava Land is pushed into the lava at a specific angle, it is stuck there. Doing this does not count as defeating it; therefore, theBig Bully that must also be defeated to complete the mission does not spawn.^[13]

In many stages, obtaining the 100 coin star requires collecting coins from enemies,Blue Coin Blocks, and other instances where coins can despawn. If the player lets these coins despawn without collecting them, the 100 coin star can become unobtainable without restarting the mission.

Super Mario Sunshine[edit]

in theRed Coin Field inSuper Mario Sunshine, if thePokey Pods fall off the stage, the player will not be able to collect thered coin from defeating them and will have to restart the level. Additionally, since there is no source of water in the level, ifFLUDD runs out of water, the player will have to restart the level if any red coins that require water have not been collected.

Super Mario Galaxy[edit]

InSuper Mario Galaxy and itsNintendo Switchport, in theGusty Garden's Gravity Scramble mission, it is possible to fall back onto the final Disk Planet with theLaunch Star by performing aLong Jump in the right place. However, because the gravity has now changed on the ! and ? Planets, the player will be forced to restart the mission.

The Cataquack freezing

If theCataquack in theWall Jumping up Waterfalls mission in theBeach Bowl Galaxy touchesIce Mario on the same frame one of the ice pillars breaks the platform it is standing on, the Cataquack will start glowing and the game will become unresponsive. The player will then have to restart the mission to continue.^[14]

On the missionsPurple Coins on the Battlerock andBattlestation's Purple Coins, if the player leaves behind any of thePurple Coins, they will be unable to obtain thePower Star as the platforms that the player rides throughout the level do not backtrack. Although Mario will lose a life for doing so, he can end the softlock by talking to theGearmos who host the event.

OnDeep Dark Galaxy, the player can use theCannon on a precise angle to shoot themselves above the rock and directly onto the ghost ship area. Doing so onBubble Blastoff will softlock the player, asKamella will not spawn and losing a life will just respawn them on the ghost ship area.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]

InNew Super Mario Bros. Wii, if a player under the effects of theSuper Star lands on a moving block in the middle of a somersault on the frame the Star runs out, they will be stuck in their somersault animation, unable to move.

Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]

InSuper Mario Galaxy 2 and its Nintendo Switchport, in the missionThe Chimp's Coin Challenge, after winning the challenge the player is transported to the beginning of the galaxy where thePower Star is obtained. However, if the player goes down the waterslide, they will not be able to climb back up the waterslide and collect the Power Star and therefore must restart the mission.

DuringSilver Stars in the Whomp Fortress in theThrowback Galaxy, if the player uses theCloud Flower to reach the Bonus Planet, they will be unable to return to the starting planet. To return, the player must lose a life or restart the mission.

If Mario freezes theShiverburn Galaxy's Starting Planet with theGround-Pound Switch inPrince Pikante's Peppery Mood and gets to the Volcano Planet at the centre with theCloud suit, he will be forced to lose a life to escape unless either he has any clouds in stock or the player quits the level. This softlock does not occur in Green Star missions, as he can just grab the firstGreen Power Star (which is in the crater of the volcano) to escape without losing a life.

Super Mario 3D Land[edit]

InWorld 1-Castle ofSuper Mario 3D Land, if the player uses theSuper Leaf to jump over the gap between the platform and the bridge during the boss fight againstTail Bowser and then presses the button while he jumps to the left, the bridge will collapse with Bowser off-screen, causing the game to freeze.^[15]

New Super Mario Bros. U[edit]

Getting stuck under an immovableBramball, inNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.

In theNew Super Mario Bros. U levelBramball Woods, it is possible to get stuck underneath the third Bramball in the level. Normally,Brick Blocks move into position when the player is nearby, allowing the Bramballs to move. However, returning to this Bramball after dying and respawning from theCheckpoint Flag without going too far left prevents the blocks from appearing. This allows the player to take a hit and stand on theBig Block, trapping them. Jumping against the Bramball has no effect, and if the player is insmall form ormini form, they cannot escape without losing a life.

Super Mario Maker /Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS[edit]

Super Mario Maker's status as a level creation tool makes it trivial to create softlock states or impossible courses in a multitude of ways.One-Way Walls andSemisolid Platforms can be used to trap the player inside of an enclosed area, and levels which require the player to retain a specific power-up or item can become unwinnable if the player loses it. However, while levels can be softlocked, impossible courses cannot be uploaded online, as in order to upload them, the player must clear the course first.

Super Mario Odyssey[edit]

If the player skips the firstPower Moon inSuper Mario Odyssey, activates a checkpoint past it, comes back and collects the Power Moon, and warps to the checkpoint, the game shows Mario walking towards theOdyssey and stopping in front of it before softlocking. The softlock can be fixed by closing and then reopening the game. This glitch was fixed in the version 1.3.0 update.^[16]

Super Mario Maker 2[edit]

Super Mario Maker 2 introducesClear Conditions that must be fulfilled before the level they are applied to can be completed. Some Clear Conditions intentionally cause unwinnable states if their challenge is failed, causing the level's goal to become permanently intangible unless the level is restarted from the beginning. Similarly to the first game, courses that are outright impossible cannot be uploaded online, since they must be cleared before being posted.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]

Super Mario Bros. Wonder has a few softlocks where the player can fall into a hole inHere Come the Hoppos and aHoppo plugs the hole, preventing them from leaving unless there is another escape route. Additionally, inSecrets of Shova Mansion, they can move a block so that it covers a depression leaving a small gap, thentransform into anelephant while in the depression. If that happens, the player will be trapped due to the elephant form being too big for them to squeeze through the gap.^[17]

Mario is Missing! (DOS and CD-ROM Deluxe versions)[edit]

InMario is Missing!, if the player has only onetaxi token in their possession and uses it to travel toAlcatraz, Luigi will be stuck on Alcatraz since the only way to get to and from the area is by taxi.

Yoshi franchise[edit]

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[edit]

Yoshi gets trapped inGO! GO! MARIO!!

The levelGO! GO! MARIO!! inSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island has aSuper Star thatYoshi can reach by jumping off aShy-Guy. However, unless he has anyYoshi Eggs orwatermelons, he will be unable to get out of the area and must quit out of the level. This is fixed inYoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3.

Mario Party series[edit]

Mario Party 2[edit]

In theMario Party 2 version ofHot Rope Jump, the game freezes after 1,000 jumps.^[18]

Paper Mario series[edit]

Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]

InPaper Mario: Color Splash, one of Kamek's curses may result in situations that make the battle impossible to win. While the game usually checks the enemies Mario is fighting to ensure he does not get a type of card he cannot use, this is skipped for the curse where he turns all of Mario's cards intoEekhammers, which can make the battle unwinnable if Mario is fighting a flying enemy. The only solution is to exit the game (as the Kamek curse battles disable the Flee command) or waste one's entire supply of cards (which will re-enable the Flee command).^[19]

Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]

Before version 1.0.1. ofPaper Mario: The Origami King, inShangri-Spa, after obtaining theVIP pass to access theSpring of Rainbows, if the player left the path to it after entering, the VIP pass would be gone from the menu. If the player then spoke to the Toad at the reception, they would not have the stamp card and there would be no way to get another one. Saving after this point would have bricked the save file.^[20]

Luigi's Mansion series[edit]

Luigi's Mansion[edit]

When battlingChauncey inLuigi's Mansion, a glitch can occur that makes the ball needed to defeat him stuck in mid-air.^[21]

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon[edit]

InTreacherous Mansion inLuigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, it is possible to open a door leading to the pirate ship on the side of the mansion by holding a nearby switch down with an object. If the player enters this area while a ghost knocks away the object, the door will become blocked again after they enter the room, leaving them stuck on a tiny platform and forced to restart the level.

If the player quits in theKing Boo battle after the firstTough Possessor is defeated, it is possible that the game will count the earlier mission as complete without opening up the final mission, and will not send the player to the final boss upon replaying the level, making the game incompletable.^[22]

It is also possible to be unable to win a multiplayer ScareScraper round from a common glitch that stops a necessary key from appearing in the level. If this happens, the players are forced to lose the game.

Mario & Luigi series[edit]

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time[edit]

At a certain point inMario & Luigi: Partners in Time, theWarp Pipe that leads to thePeach's Castle Dungeon becomes accessible by going to a question marked spot inPeach's Castle. Later in the game, the player will have to go back to Peach's Castle via Peach's Castle Dungeon from theTime holes in theStar Shrine orToad Town. If the player did not activate the Warp Pipe at Peach's Castle beforehand, the player will be stuck at the dungeon as the pipe that connects to Peach's Castle and the dungeon does not appear. This only happens in the American version; the Japanese and European versions fixed this glitch by adding a! Block to make the pipe activate from below.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]

InMario & Luigi: Dream Team, there are a certain series of glitches in Mushrise Park that makes it possible to fall into the Mini Mario area as both Mario and Luigi, or get stuck in the collision for a nearby bridge. If this happens, the game is unwinnable and the file has to be started over.^[23]

Since this game allows players to retry a battle after losing, it is possible for Mario to essentially get stuck in a "loop of death"^[24] should hetrip at the start of a Dream World battle with minimal HP and less Speed than the enemy. As Mario has no way of defending the enemy's attack, he is doomed to get KO'd over and over until the player restarts the battle onEasy Mode, in which the Bros. will always start with full HP and BP when activated. This does not work if Mario is currently wearing the Guard Shell or Guard Shell DXaccessories, and cannot be performed at all in theHard Mode.

In theZeekeeper andGiant Bowser battles, the gyro controls needed for the Dimensional Rift and Repel the Shell sequences may stop working. If this happens, the battle is rendered impossible to win, since it is impossible to dodge the enemy's attacks or fight back in kind.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[edit]

InMario & Luigi: Paper Jam, if the player performs a glitch to makePaper Mario the only party member and goes to certain areas such as the island inSunbeam Plains that requires the trio todash into catapults to progress, he will get stuck due to the lack of available abilities. Saving while in this state renders the file useless.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey[edit]

Inside theTrash Pit inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, if Mario hits an enemy with hishammer on the same frame an enemy hits him, Mario will be frozen with his hammer and the game will softlock.

Additionally, it used to be possible to make the game unwinnable by backtracking as solo Luigi after Mario got captured, since a glitch would result in him getting stuck in a certain area of Dimble Wood and being unable to leave. However, after the first update for the game, this was patched, and any affected save files were also fixed to allow progress.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership[edit]

InMario & Luigi: Brothership. it is possible to use aglitch to re-enter the main area of Bowser's Castle onWayaway Island after the door closes, letting the player explore that part of the castle again. However, exiting the castle after doing this glitch softlocks the game. As a result, if the player uses aSave Block inside the castle, they are unable to leave the area or finish the game, since theReturn Pipe does not work on Wayaway Island.

WarioWare series[edit]

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$![edit]

At the level 3 difficulty of themicrogameRight in the Eye, fromWarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, the eye of the needle may sometimes be positioned outside the playing area, making the game impossible to win. This issue was fixed in the microgame'sWarioWare Gold remake.

At the level 3 difficulty of the microgameThe Frog Flap, bouncing off of too many blue ledges without bouncing off of a red ledge can cause the frog to jump all the way to the top of the screen, making it impossible for the frog to land and softlocking the game.^[25]

WarioWare: Touched![edit]

Three microgames inKat & Ana's set inWarioWare: Touched! are impossible to complete on early Japanese copies. The lines inBright Idea andThe Proud, the Fuse cannot be drawn while the flashlight inMidnight Weirdo blinks on and off. This glitch was fixed in later Japanese copies.

WarioWare: Get It Together![edit]

In theSuper Mario World microgame fromWarioWare: Get It Together!, 18-Volt can get stuck in Level 2 since he cannot move, despite being a neutral fit, which makes it impossible for him to win.^[26]

InPop Goes the Party, it is possible to destroy too many of the pins in Level 3, making it impossible to win. This can easily be done when playing asPenny, who is a bad fit for the microgame.

InBalance the Scales, it is possible to destroy too many of the cracked blocks, making it impossible to win. This can easily be done when playing as Penny, who is a bad fit for the microgame.

InArcher Assist,9-Volt, who is a bad fit for the microgame, can overshoot the target in Levels 1 and 3, and he cannot move the archer in these levels, making it impossible to win with him.

In the 2-player variant ofCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker, while the microgame can still be won if one player makes a mistake, if one player is5-Volt, and she moves the incorrect Touchstone the other player's side, the microgame will be impossible to win unless the other player is also 5-Volt. This is because the player who makes the mistake will have the losing pose while the other player will not be able to move the correct Touchstone.

InDuelius Maximus' speed-based Lightning Round, winning a microgame causes anyone who did not complete it to get softlocked until thetimer expires, unless the microgame is a survival microgame likeBoxed Up.

WarioWare: Move It![edit]

InWarioWare: Move It!, inShowdown's speed-based "First to Win" mode, winning a microgame causes anyone who did not complete it to get softlocked until the timer expires, unless the microgame is a survival microgame.

If the player plays a microgame with the form Hand Model with the Joy-Con 2, the microgames will not display the player's hand due to the Joy-Con 2 missing the IR motion camera, making the microgames impossible to win.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

InNinja Hideaway inMario Kart 8 Deluxe, if the player lands on top of the sign after the final moving spike platform, they will be unable to move. When this happens, they will be forced to either lose the current race or quit the game.^[27]

Monopoly:The Super Mario Bros. Movie Edition[edit]

InMonopoly:The Super Mario Bros. Movie Edition, whenever a player's token and theBowser token are on the same space, they must fight Bowser, teaming up with another player to defeat him. However, players cannot fight Bowser while in Jail. As such, if a player is forced to fight Bowser and all other players are in Jail, they are unable to fight Bowser, putting the board game in an unwinnable state and preventing players from continuing the board game without the use ofhouse rules.^[28]

Impossible 100% completion[edit]

See also:Missable content

A less severe variation is when a game can still be finished, but denies the player100% completion of their save file in some way. Unlike true unwinnable scenarios, examples of intentional impossible 100% completion are more common in theSuper Mario franchise.

Donkey Kong 64[edit]

The fiveBanana Medals that appear inHideout Helm inDonkey Kong 64 do not respawn if the player leaves the area without collecting them, making 101%completion impossible.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]

InNew Super Mario Bros. Wii, if the player loses eight lives in a course from one of the first eight worlds before completing it, aSuper Guide Block appears when the player re-enters that course. If the player saves the game thereafter, it permanently prevents them from ever having shiny stars on their save file (even if they did not use the Super Guide Block).

Super Mario 3D Land[edit]

Similar toNew Super Mario Bros. Wii, if the player loses five lives when attempting a course from one of the first eight worlds inSuper Mario 3D Land, anAssist Block will appear on re-entry, permanently preventing the player from ever having shiny stars on their save file (even if they did not use theInvincibility Leaf nor theP-Wing).

In all subsequentSuper Mario platformers, making the Super Guide Block or Assist Block appear will not void the player's chance to get shiny stars on their save file; any player who uses the Super Guide or Invincibility Leaf can get shiny stars by completing the same level without using it.

Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]

Before version 1.0.1 ofPaper Mario: The Origami King, if the player turned off the water in the Shroom City Hotel but did not save the Toad that the Snifit was surfing on in the hotel pool before progressing the story, they would be unable to hit it with Mario's hammer. This made it impossible to get all the Toads needed to 100% complete the area, and locked them out of the perfect ending.^[29]

If the player defeated theBlack Shy Guy withProfessor Toad, it was impossible to achieve 100% completion in theMusée Champignon. This was fixed in version 1.0.1 by having a Black Shy Guy appear inScorching Sandpaper West which can be fought as many times as the player wants.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope[edit]

Prior to version 1.2.2076427 ofMario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, inBarrendale Mesa, if the player left the Barren Key for the secret zone as the last item to buy with Planet Coins at the shop, it would no longer be possible to buy it as the secret zone contains a Spark, and all 30 Sparks were required to face theGiant Magnafowl which gives a Planet Coin after being defeated. This in turn made it impossible to obtain said Planet Coin and reach 100% for Barrendale Mesa. Following the version 1.2.2076427 update, the required Sparks were lowered to 29, which now makes it possible to leave the Barren Key for last and be able to fight the Giant Magnafowl.

References[edit]

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